Dear <First Name>,

It is with great excitement that we write to you from Bowdoin College. Soon you will be embarking on a wonderful adventure as you join our community to begin your journey as a Bowdoin student. We invite you to apply for an innovative program called Bowdoin Advising program to Support Academic Excellence (BASE). This program is aimed at assisting first-year students in being fully engaged in their academic experience and giving them the keys to be successful in the classroom and beyond.

Students arrive at Bowdoin with a variety of experiences, backgrounds, and preparation. We extend BASE invitations to students who have overcome educational, cultural, or socioeconomic obstacles on their way to college. We recognize that students have unequal access to academic resources prior to Bowdoin. We also know that all students will have a somewhat challenging transition from high school to Bowdoin. If you feel that you will benefit from intensive advising to augment your academic preparedness and to help navigate your first-year experience, consider applying to BASE.

Here is how the program works. Students who participate in BASE:

1.  Are matched with an academic advisor, a professor who works closely with them throughout the first year. Although all first-year students are assigned an advisor, students in BASE meet more regularly with their advisor to discuss any number of issues (e.g., classes, transition to Bowdoin, test preparation, paper writing). Having a strong connection with a professor provides you with a supportive advocate to help navigate the college experience.

2.  Are expected to participate in a series of First-Year Student Workshops open to all first-year students. These workshops, held throughout the year, encompass a variety of topics—including how to edit your papers; use the library more efficiently and effectively; engage in self-reflective decision-making; engage in effective career planning; make smart decisions on health, wellness and fitness; and manage stress.

3.  Keep an online journal about their experiences at Bowdoin. Each week students briefly answer a few questions. These prompts can help foster a sense of purpose and intentionality in academic and social decision-making.

4.  Work with Abby Roy, a rising junior who is our BASE peer mentor. Abby is in her second year in this essential role and assists students in their academic and social trajectory, as well as providing BASE students with many opportunities for civic and community engagement through the McKeen Center for the Common Good. BASE students have gone on to leadership positions across campus, much of it through the work and encouragement of Abby.

The goal of BASE is to assist you in making the right decisions for your college education. BASE can provide important foundational experiences that encourage students not only to be successful academically but also to become campus-wide student leaders.

To apply, please fill out the form below and return it via email to Janet Lohmann by June 27. (Please use your Bowdoin email account for all Bowdoin communications.) Space in BASE is limited to 30 students, so please send us your application as soon as possible. If you have further questions about BASE, please feel free to contact either one of us (see contact information below).

Sincerely,

Janet Lohmann, Associate Dean of Student Sara Dickey, Professor of Anthropology /

Affairs / Dean of First-Year Students Faculty Liaison for Advising

Application to BASE Advising Program

DUE BY JUNE 27, 2014

Name:

  1. Bowdoin email address:
  2. Academic interests:
  3. Please explain in a few sentences how you think BASE will benefit you: